Golf tee

ABSTRACT

A golf tee that allows the golfer to put a golf ball on the tee without having to lean over is disclosed. The golf tee has at least three legs and is resilient. The golf tee may also have four legs and a web member extending between the legs of the golf tee. A method for putting a golf ball on the tee is also disclosed.

[0001] The present invention relates to a golf tee, and more particularly, a golf tee that is flexible and one on which a golfer can place a golf ball by rolling the golf ball up on it with a golf club.

[0002] There are several prior art golf tees, however, the majority of those golf tees require that the golfer bend over to put a golf ball on the tee. Those that potentially allow the golfer to put a golf ball on the tee have only one path by which the golfer can get the golf ball on the tee. Additionally, the prior art tees cup the ball, potentially taking distance from the golf shots and increasing the wear to the tee, requiring that the tees be replaced more frequently.

[0003] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a golf tee and method for putting a golf ball on a golf tee that substantially obviates one or more of the problems and disadvantages in the prior art. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus and process particularly pointed out in the written description and claims, as well as the appended drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention is directed to a golf tee including a base, a shaft connected to the base, a top portion connected to the shaft, the top portion further comprising at least three legs connected to the shaft and a web member extending between the at least three legs, the web member being independent from the shaft.

[0005] In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a resilient golf tee including a base, a shaft connected to the base, at least three legs connected to the shaft, and a web member extending between the at least three legs.

[0006] In another aspect, the invention is directed to a resilient golf tee including an enlarged base, a shaft connected to the base, and at least three legs connected to the shaft.

[0007] In another aspect, the invention provides a method of putting a golf ball on a golf tee, the golf tee having a top portion with at least three legs and a web member extending between the at least three legs, the method including providing the golf ball, aligning the golf ball between two of the three legs, and using a golf club to push the golf ball against the web member between the two legs causing the golf ball to roll up over the web member and rest on the three legs.

[0008] In yet another aspect, the invention provides for a method of putting a golf ball on a golf tee, the golf tee having an enlarged base, a shaft connected to the base, and a top portion with connected to the shaft and having at least three legs, the method including providing the golf ball, aligning the golf ball between two of the three legs, and using a golf club to push the golf ball against the tee between two of the at least three legs causing the golf ball to roll up over the web member and rest on the three legs.

[0009] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

[0010] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective of one embodiment of a golf tee according to the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a front view of the golf tee in FIG. 1;

[0013]FIG. 3 is a top view of the golf tee in FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the golf tee of FIG. 3 along the line 4-4 and illustrating a golf mat that may be used with the golf tee;

[0015]FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the golf tee of FIG. 2 along the line 5-5;

[0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective of another embodiment of a golf tee according to the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 7 is a perspective of a third embodiment of a golf tee according to the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 8 illustrates a golf ball placed in preparation to be rolled on to the golf tee of FIG. 1 with the golf ball and mat in phantom;

[0019]FIG. 9 illustrates the golf ball (in phantom) moving up the web member between two legs of the golf tee and shortly before coming to rest on the golf tee; and

[0020]FIG. 10 illustrates a golf ball in phantom on the golf tee of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] A golf tee 10 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The golf tee 10 preferably has an enlarged base 12 from which a shaft 14 extends. The shaft 14 is divided into an upper portion 16 and a lower portion 18. See also FIG. 2. The upper portion 16 preferably has upper shaft extensions 20, with slots 22 between the shaft extensions 20. The upper shaft extensions 20 and the slots 22 allow the golf tee 10 to flex and deform during play and installation, which is described in more detail below.

[0022] Golf tee 10 also has a top portion 26 on which the golf ball sits. The top portion 26 includes three legs 28 which are connected to the upper shaft extensions 20 by ribs or gussets 30. FIG. 3. The top portion 26 also has a web member 32 that extends between the legs 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the top portion 26 has three web members 32 connecting the three legs 28. The web member 32 is not directly attached to the shaft 14, but to the legs 28. The top portion 26 can be deformed to fit through a hole 34 in a practice mat 36, as seen in FIG. 4. The top portion 26 is pushed together and pushed through the hole 34 in the bottom of the mat 36, where the base 12 engages the bottom of the mat 36. The shaft 14 extends at least through the mat 36 as shown in FIG. 4, but may extend further (either by a longer shaft 14 or a thinner mat 36) so that there is a gap 38 that may be larger than the one shown.

[0023] The slots 22 and upper shaft extensions 20, along with the web members 32 cooperate to allow the top portion to be collapsed to fit within the hole 34, but also maintain the integrity of the golf tee 10. The web members 32 assist in providing stability to the legs 28 and the shaft 14, including the upper shaft portion 16. As shown in FIG. 10, the golf ball (shown in phantom) is supported only by a small portion of the legs 28. The web member 32 assists in not allowing the legs 28 to flare outward so that the ball falls within the legs 28. If this were to happen, it would be more difficult to hit the ball from within the legs, the golf tee would be subject to more abuse and would not last as long. If the legs 28 were not flexible at all, then the ball may not stay on the tee and fall off. It should be noted, however, that if the legs 28 of the golf tee were of a sufficient thickness or stiffness (depending on the material), the web member 32 would not be necessary and still allow the appropriate amount of flexing of the legs.

[0024]FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a golf tee 40 according to the present invention. As with the first embodiment, the golf tee 40 has a base 42, a shaft 44, and legs 46. In this embodiment, the shaft 44 has a lower portion 48, and an upper portion 50 with three shaft extensions 52 and corresponding slots 53. This golf tee 40 is also capable of being collapsed to fit through a golf mat as with the previous embodiment. In fact, this embodiment of a golf tee 40 does not need a lower portion 48 if so desired and the shaft 44 could be three separate shaft extensions 52, which is also applicable to golf tee 10 above. The legs 46 of golf tee 40 are shown to be cylindrical with a blunt end 54. However, the legs 46 could be configured similar to legs 28, i.e., have a taper at the end. In this embodiment, a web member is not necessary due to the strength and thickness of the legs 46. Again, a web member could be used is so desired.

[0025]FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of a golf tee 60 according to the present invention. Golf tee 60 is similar to golf tee 40 in that it has a base 62, a shaft 64, and four legs 64, rather than three legs. The shaft 66 also has a lower portion 68 and an upper portion 70 with four (rather than three legs 64). Again, no web member is present in this embodiment although one could be added.

[0026] The golf tees 10,40,60 are preferably made from a resilient material such as an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be natural rubber, synthetic rubber, flexible polyurethane, flexible PVC, thermoplastic elastomers, and latex. The thickness of the legs and the existence of the web members 32 depend on the materials and their resilience and stiffness. As shown in FIG. 10, the legs may flare out slightly to ensure that the golf ball stays in the tee when it is pushed on, during adverse conditions such as high wind, when mounted on an incline, etc. However, the ball should not sink too far down into the tee so that the legs get between the club face and the ball. If the legs 28 are tapered as shown in FIG. 1, then the legs need not even flex at all since the ball will rest on the inside of the legs.

[0027] In order to put a ball on the golf tees 10,40,60, the golfer rolls a ball (shown in phantom in FIG. 8) between two of the legs 28 and against the web member 32. The golfer then continues to exert pressure against the ball and it will roll up the web member 32 and along and between the legs 28. See FIG. 9. The legs 28 may part slightly from the pressure and weight of the ball as shown in FIG. 9. The ball with then come to rest on the top of the legs 28. Similarly for the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the golf ball, not shown, will be aligned between two of the three or four legs 46,64 and as it is pushed toward the tee, it will ride up the legs and may slightly even part the legs, depending on the type and characteristics of the material used. The golf ball with then settle in on the legs 46,64. Again, Applicants have found that the ball will remain at rest on the legs 46,64 and will not continue over the golf tee to fall off when a resilient material is used.

[0028] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the golf tee of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

We claim:
 1. A golf tee comprising: a base; a shaft connected to the base a top portion connected to the shaft, the top portion further comprising: at least three legs connected to the shaft; and a web member extending between the at least three legs, the web member being independent from the shaft.
 2. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein the top portion comprises at least four legs and a web member that extends between the at least four legs and being independent from the shaft.
 3. The golf according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has an upper portion and a shaft bottom portion, the shaft having slots in the shaft top portion to define three upper shaft extensions, each of the upper shaft extensions connected to a respective leg.
 4. The golf according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has an upper portion and a shaft bottom portion, the shaft having slots in the shaft top portion to define four upper shaft extensions, each of the upper shaft extensions connected to a respective leg.
 5. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein the top portion is collapsible to fit through an opening in a practice mat.
 6. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein the golf tee is made of a resilient material.
 7. The golf tee according to claim 6, wherein the golf tee is made from an elastomeric material.
 8. The golf tee according to claim 7, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, synthetic rubbers, flexible polyurethane, flexible PVC, thermoplastic elastomers, and latex.
 9. The golf tee according to claim 1, the top portion further comprising a rib connecting each of the at least three legs to the upper shaft extensions.
 10. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein the web extending between a first and second leg and the first and second legs form an opening.
 11. The golf according to claim 1, wherein only a portion of each of the at least three legs contact a golf ball placed thereon.
 12. The golf tee according to claim 1, wherein golf tee is to be used with a practice mat having a predetermined thickness, and the shaft has a height that is greater than the predetermined thickness of the practice mat.
 13. A resilient golf tee comprising: a base; a shaft connected to the base; at least three legs connected to the shaft; and a web member extending between the at least three legs.
 14. A resilient golf tee comprising: an enlarged base; a shaft connected to the base; at least three legs connected to the shaft.
 15. The resilient golf tee according to claim 14, wherein the at least three legs comprises four legs.
 16. The resilient golf tee according to claim 14, further comprising a web member extending between the at least three legs.
 17. A method of putting a golf ball on a golf tee, the golf tee having a top portion with at least three legs and a web member extending between the at least three legs, the method comprising the steps of: providing the golf ball; aligning the golf ball between two of the three legs; and using a golf club to push the golf ball against the web member between the two legs causing the golf ball to roll up over the web member and rest on the three legs.
 18. A method of putting a golf ball on a golf tee, the golf tee having an enlarged base, a shaft connected to the base, and a top portion with connected to the shaft and having at least three legs, the method comprising the steps of: providing the golf ball; aligning the golf ball between two of the three legs; and using a golf club to push the golf ball against the tee between two of the at least three legs causing the golf ball to roll up over the web member and rest on the three legs.
 19. The method according to clam 18, wherein the golf tee has at least four legs. 